A Message from the Director
When the Library closed its doors on March 13, we never expected that the facility would remain closed nine months later. Although our building remains closed to the public, our staff are very busy supporting the community in creative ways—while following protocols for distancing and masking, of course!
During the past few months we have developed new ways of offering services to our community while navigating both changing public heath orders and the cyberattack on the City’s technology infrastructure in late July, which resulted in the Library operating with only a few Chromebooks and a single cell phone for more than a month.
In spite of the many challenges, our team has remained positive and energized, and has come together with renewed passion for meeting our community’s changing needs. We worked hard to get books into the hands of children and families through Lafayette’s Little Free Libraries and BVSD’s weekly Emergency Food Distribution site at Alicia Sanchez Elementary.
We heard our community’s desire to engage in better understanding systemic racism and dedicated our LafayetteREADS program to understanding racism and becoming actively anti-racist. We provided 425 free copies of the book "White Fragility" by Robin D’Angelo, and hosted two virtual community conversations around that title. Our next selections, "Stamped from the Beginning" and "Stamped" (an edition prepared especially for young people), will be available with registration in early 2021 or through our catalog.
Because our customers are presently unable to browse the shelves, we’ve created a Grab Bag program for all ages to help our customers discover new reads...we have distributed more than 300 grab bags to date.
We used the equipment in our Studio 775 Makerspace to sew facial coverings and print components of face shields for community members and health care workers.
These projects would not be possible without the support of our community, those we call Friends, the generous donors and members of the Friends of the Lafayette Library Colorado Foundation. Your help is needed to support the great work happening right now. The Foundation supports Library programs and services, and your gift could help the Library:
Expand our electronic media collection, as demand for eBooks and eAudiobooks has increased as we all spend more time at home to help keep our community safe during the COVID-19 pandemic
Purchase additional copies of print books for children and teens in English and Spanish for our reading reward programs, like Summer Reading
Due to a combination of budget cuts and a problematic pricing structure, the Flatirons Library Consortium (FLC), of which Lafayette is a member, was forced to make the difficult decision to leave Prospector, the interlibrary loan system. Customers still have access to more than 1 million items through the FLC collection, and we will continue our commitment to building a collection that meets and exceeds our community’s needs. The FLC will revisit the possibility of reactivating our Prospector subscription for 2022.
Please consider making a tax-deductible financial gift to the Library Foundation today.
We remain committed to safely supporting Library customers and staff, whatever the new year brings.
Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!
Melissa Hisel, Library Director
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